TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: There’s finally a lull in the Margao Municipal Council after a flurry of activity to get the Old Margao Municipal heritage structure demolished, even as tenants occupying a portion of the heritage building have called for withdrawal of the notices issued by the civic body to vacate from the premises.
The sudden lull, sources said, is unconnected with the Save Margao Heritage Movement launched in the city on Sunday, but the demolition notices which were drafted by the civic body have been kept on hold, raising many an eyebrow in the corridors of the civic body. It is learnt that though the demolition orders were drafted last week, they have not been signed as yet by the Chief Officer Deepali Naik nor served on the parties.
Herald inquiries have revealed that the Margao Municipality had started the process of getting the tenants vacated and the building razed following directions from the South Goa District Magistrate, N D Agrawal. The issue has found a mention in the minutes of the meeting of the District Disaster Management Authority headed by Agrawal held on January 2013. Curiously, however, the old MMC building finds a mention in one of the points in the minutes pertaining to cutting of a tree at Majorda village.
MMC officials in private admit that the Collector’s directions were not based on any survey report carried out on the weak and unsafe buildings in the commercial capital as a whole or in the Old market area in particular.
Meanwhile, in separate replies, the four tenants having their establishments in the building have denied the charges made out by the civic body in the notice issued under section 190 of the Goa Municipalities Act. At least two of the tenants have called for the immediate withdrawal of the notice.
On February 14, the MMC Chief Officer Deepali Naik had asked the four parties occupying the building to pull down the structure safely within 15 days from the date of receipt of the notice, failing which the Council threatened to demolish the building and recover the cost from the parties.
At the meeting held on Sunday by the Save Margao Heritage Movement, it has been decided to ask the government to declare the Old Municipal building as a heritage site. Movement Convenor Savio Coutinho said the organisation will petition the Margao civic body as well as the government to protect and save the heritage building.
